Jori
by Them Memories
Summary: Jori was a second class citizen, a drell to be technical, having to deal with the hate and degradation on a daily basis. When he is given a new lab partner to work with, things begin to change and his life takes on a new role. OCs, following canon...mostly
1. Chapter 1 - Old and New

**Hello! I've decided to join a contest for fun. What contest you say? Well, it's the February Contest - Original Characters! which can be found in Aria's Afterlife forum. You should go check it out and see what other authors are doing. I've never done an OC before, let alone multiples, so bear with me. Expect references to major characters in the games but no interactions with them.**

**For those of you who happen to be following my other story 'J & J', do not fear. I have not abandoned it, I've just hit major writer's block with it and I can't wake my dang muse up. I will be working on both my stories at the same time but this one more than the other because I have a deadline.  
**

**So without further adieu, here is my new story 'Jori', from which I own nothing.**

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"Former Commander Shepard, and ex-Citadel Spectre, who was taken into custody by Earth Alliance forces six months ago, is still awaiting trial for her association with the rogue human organization known as Cerberus. Ongoing negotiations between the batarian and human governments over custody rights of Shepard, continue to hinder the progress of her trial."

Jori Rannta listened to the Galactic News as he waited for the elevator to arrive and take him to level 4 of Huerta Memorial Hospital to start work. Scrolling through his datapad, Jori grimaced at the amount of work waiting for him once the elevator finally arrived. His work load had recently increased since the closing of the Sirta Foundation Firm and he was now performing double duty in the currently understaffed labs.

He paused at his perusal and pulled up a file that caught his interest. An apparent red sand overdose. Normally, he'd think nothing unusual there, but what caught his eye was the lack of symptoms of an actual overdose on the victim's body with nothing else to indicate method of death. Indecently, the victim was a C-Sec officer assigned to the third cycle at the loading docks used for mass goods transportation. With his eidetic memory, Jori could confirm that he had never seen something like this before. Sure C-Sec officers were found dead and random individuals came in from overdoses, but nothing quite like this.

The muffled sound of the elevator doors opening, drew Jori's attention to the newly arrived elevator. He sighed at the sight of the packed car and stepped forward to board. Two krogan leered at him as they stood in the back of the small crowd. A few others among the various galactic species present, didn't receive him much more warmly than the krogan did, but nothing was said. Seeing no possible avenue of mobility to reach the control panel to request his floor, Jori braced himself as he spoke up. "Huerta Memorial Hospital, level four please."

At the sound of his gravelly voice, the few individuals who weren't paying attention, expressed the displeasure he should really be used to by now. The one salarian by the control panel looked up from his data pad, offered a cordial smile, and selected the requested destination before diving back into what he was reading. At least one person in this elevator wasn't going to have an issue with him.

As the elevator crawled along its path, Jori could feel the tension slowly climb in the confined space. He silently prayed to the gods to help the elevator along at a faster pace. At the sound of the doors sliding open, Jori thought his prayers were answered, until the pleasant feminine voice welcomed the occupants to the embassies. He closed his eyes in silent frustration.

"That's our stop," one of the krogan in the back announced and everyone began to shuffle to let them exit. As they passed Jori, they both managed to knock into him, causing him to hit the frame of the doors with his face. Pride kept him from checking to see if he was bleeding. When no one stared at him more than usual, he assumed there wasn't much damage.

At the next stop, a few of the asari, the volus, and a couple humans exited with little incident, to Jori's relief. The following stop had the majority of the car emptying out but not without a couple insults cast his way.

"Damn drell."

"Why they were declared a Citadel race is beyond me."

"God they look weird."

That last comment had Jori wondering about his looks. He didn't look bad, at least he didn't think so. He had no visible scarring and only minimal facial and body markings for the average drell. He'd been complimented more than once on his coloring: soft blue and orange. Usually by asari and the occasional salarian, the two species that seemed more or less indifferent to his own species. Like most drell, he was built tall and lean compared to the average human. The plates on the back of his head tended to stick out just a little more than usual, making them moderately comparable to turians' crests. But nothing made him really stand out, except for the fact he was a drell and they were rarely seen off of Kahje unless they were on assignment. And those individuals tended to be assassins or Special Forces for the hanar.

And that explained why he wasn't a welcome sight by most on the Citadel. His species were labeled as killers, agents of the hanar. Because of this, Jori had to deal with day to day prejudice that could be as little as what happened a moment ago, to being cornered in an alley and beaten, which had also happened a time or two.

"Welcome to Huerta Memorial Hospital level four."

The elevator's voice announced his stop and he quickly stepped off before any of the remaining occupants could say or do anything. He immediately entered the security checkpoint he went through multiple times a day to find the turian guard, Kern, on duty today. Jori didn't like him that much.

"Name?" Kern asked.

Jori inwardly sighed. It looked like it was going to be one of those days. "Come on Kern, you know who I am. You only need to check on those who don't normally come down here."

Kern pretended not to know what Jori was talking about and repeated, "Name?"

Jori really didn't like this guy. "Jori Rannta."

"Occupation?"

"Pathologist."

"Destination?"

"The Labs."

"Reason?"

Jori had to suppress his growing frustration. "I work there?"

"Authorization code?"

"Seriously?" Jori asked.

Kern just looked at him.

"Fine, 625 Sierra 626 Beta 81597."

Kern looked down at his access panel and began to punch in information. "The system needs to check your authorization to this area of the hospital. This will take a few minutes."

Jori dropped his head in defeat. He was going to be late because of Kern's stupidity and he really couldn't afford to be. It wouldn't be the first time someone had hindered his progress to work and he hoped his supervisor, Salan, wouldn't reprimand him for this. Of course he'd tried informing Salan before about what was going on, but nothing happened to stop this treatment.

"Hey Chuck." Kern said when the doors to the elevator opened to offload a human male in a lab coat.

"Hey Kern," the human replied. "How's your brother doing?"

Kern smiled as he fiddled with his access panel, "Doing good. Made it through the first month of training."

"That's good."

The doors leading to the labs opened up and Kern nodded to Chuck . "Go on through."

"Thanks, Kern."

Jori began to follow Chuck when Kern stopped him, "Not you, drell. Your authorization hasn't come through yet."

Jori exhaled in frustration but kept his hyoid silent. Turians were one of the few species who could hear and interpret the sounds of a drell hyoid. He learned the hard way that venting his frustration and anger through vocal sounds was not the best idea around those with their own unique vocal communication abilities.

Suddenly, Jori jerked as the memory of that encounter replayed in his mind. To the outside world, it seemed he was concentrating on something as he stared at the opposite wall and occasionally twitched. Internally, though, he was reliving every insult, punch, kick, and degrading comment he had had to endure that day. He ended up with broken ribs, lesions and contusions everywhere, and a ruined outfit.

When he returned to the world at present, the access panel beeped indicating Jori's authorization approval to enter the labs. Kern didn't even look at him as Jori exited the room and made his way to his assigned lab. On the way he kept an eye out for Salan and prayed to the gods he wouldn't be around to see Jori arrive late.

"Doctor Rannta, you're late," his salarian supervisor, Salan, commented disapprovingly. Before Jori could form an apology, Salan turned from him and headed toward the adjoining room. "No matter. Get your coat on and follow me. I have someone for you to meet."

Jori watched his supervisor disappear into the other room as he shrugged off his jacket and replaced it with his lab coat. Grabbing his datapad and buttoning his coat closed, he followed Salan into the other room wondering who he was to meet. It didn't take him long to spot Salan, across the room, talking to someone who was crouched down by the supply cabinet, just out of Jori's view.

"No, but I would be happy to find out," a sweet feminine voice answered an apparent question Salan had asked.

Relief washed over Jori as he discovered the 'someone' Salan wanted him to meet was a female. She was more than likely an asari and she was probably assigned to his lab as a partner. Asari generally had no issues with drell because they understood how the drell society functioned and didn't judge them for fulfilling their assignments. Because of this, Jori began to look forward to working with his new lab partner and the possible stress-free environment past partners failed to create.

"Ah, Jori. Meet your new lab partner, Doctor Deena Farthing," Salan introduced.

"Oh!" exclaimed the female who had yet to stand. As she did, Jori's eager anticipation dissipated as he realized she was human.

"Doctor Farthing, this is Doctor Jori Rannta." Salan continued the introductions. As Doctor Farthing turned around she had her arms full of supplies and a smile on her face that changed to surprise when she saw Jori. He knew what was to come next as soon as Salan left the room. The suspicious looks, the quiet remarks that weren't so quiet, and the eventual dislike of each other. He couldn't catch a break in any regard today, could he?

"I trust you two will get along," Salan said before either of them could provide a cordial greeting. "I'll leave you to your work. Doctor Rannta will show you around, Doctor Farthing." With that, Salan left the room, effectively leaving them alone.

Jori watched Doctor Farthing a moment, dreading what always came next when other species meet a drell. Dislike, hate, threats, insults, they were all the norm for him. What happened next, though, completely surprised him.

Doctor Farthing seemed to shake herself out of a trance, "Oh, I'm so sorry. How terribly rude of me." She shuffled the items around in her arms in an attempt to free a hand. When she realized that that wasn't going to work she opted to place the items on the table then presented her hand to him. He took a moment to look at it before presenting his own.

"Doctor Farthing," she re-introduced herself. "But you can call me Deena. No sense in throwing 'doctors' around all day when we both know we are one."

Jori didn't know what to say. She wasn't acting at all as hostile as predicted and to top it all off, she offered to be on a first name basis. He took a moment to take her in. She was shorter than he, without measuring, she probably came up to his shoulders. Her frame was athletic for a human, as opposed to the thinner females he's seen at kiosks and help desks. She wore a lab coat like his and her not quite blonde hair was pulled up out of her face where he could see freckles, as the humans called them. She was pretty, for a human. Not that he fancied humans or anything but of all the ones he'd met, he liked the look of her the most.

Her smile widened when he realized he was staring and gave a slight shake of his head to bring him back to the topic at hand.

He cleared his throat and returned her greeting, "Doctor Rannta…Jori is fine."

To his amazement, her smile widened even further, leaving him completely confused as to why she was so happy to meet a drell. Maybe no one had told her about drell? That was probably it. Once someone enlightened her, she wouldn't be so happy to work with him. He was not looking forward to when that happened.


	2. Chapter 2 - Hyoid and News

**Alright, so here is Chapter 2. Hope you like it. :)**

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Jori leaned against the wall of Huerta Memorial Hospital level four security checkpoint as he waited for Kern to grant him access to the labs. This pointless process was going to make him late for work again. He wanted to get a start on the analysis of the samples sent over from C-Sec for the strange red sand overdose. The day before, he had spent long hours trying to make a dent in the backlog of work in his department. With Deena's help this morning, he was going to be able to start on that curious case and concentrate most of his energy on it. Currently though, Kern was keeping him from doing as he planned.

Deena had proven to be a valuable asset as his lab partner, with her quick grasp of the layout of the labs and eagerness to learn. They worked surprisingly well together. Each took on their own case and stayed on opposite sides of the room to give each other space to maneuver. When she needed a second opinion, she actually asked for it instead of pretending to be infallible and passing the results along. A couple of his old partners had been too prideful to garner his thoughts, resulting in consequences that left him without a partner on more than one occasion.

He had also found out that Deena liked to talk. It didn't matter what she talked about as long as she was talking. She flittered from topic to topic asking rhetorical questions and giving opinions on the cases they worked or the latest in the Galactic News. The best part was she didn't appear to need him to hold a conversation with her. All he needed to do, it seemed, was to listen and she was happy to talk the day away. That was something he could get used to.

The slight sound of the elevator doors opening drew Jori's attention to them. He immediately straightened up at the site of his new lab partner stepping off the crowded car. When she spotted him standing there she presented him with a wide smile as if he was a longtime friend. Seeing her smile at him like that had Jori feeling…he wasn't sure, but it was a pleasant feeling.

"Jori," Deena greeted brightly. "How are you today? Ready to work on that conundrum you showed me yesterday?" Before he could answer, Deena turned to Kern. "Hello, Kern."

Kern didn't give Jori an opportunity to vocalize his answer either. "Doctor Farthing, go on in."

"Thank you, Kern." She pleasantly replied. Taking two steps towards the now open doors she paused and looked back at Jori. "Are you coming?"

Jori had to suppress his surprise at her obvious request to follow. Glancing at Kern, Jori shifted to follow her when Kern spoke up.

"His clearance hasn't been authorized yet."

That stopped Deena and had her facing him in confusion, "Why not? This is only my second day and I have instantaneous clearance. Doctor Rannta has been working here far longer than me so why would he still need authorization to enter the labs?"

Kern had no reply to her sudden and sound argument. Usually others would have accepted his authority and left Jori to Kern's devices. To Jori's knowledge, this was the first that anyone actually outright questioned Kern's word.

When Kern couldn't think quick enough to give a defense, Deena looked back at Jori. "Come on, we don't want to be late."

Jori glanced at the now seething Kern and quickly followed Deena to their lab. He couldn't believe that someone actually stood up for him, intentional or not. He had to thank her.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "Thank you."

She immediately giggled. "I don't know what I'm being thanked for, but you're welcome Jori."

He hesitated before explaining his gratitude. "Kern, he ah… He likes to make me wait for authorization to enter the labs."

Her brows scrunched up. "But, why? You've been working here long enough to gain instant access by now."

She really didn't know about the social status of drell on the Citadel, did she? Gods, he didn't want to be the one to enlighten her. He liked her, and because of that, it was going to hurt him more if she started to treat him the way all the others did. But he really didn't want to play the waiting game for when she did find out. It was best to rip the bandage off, as the human saying went.

"It's because I'm drell."

Now she looked even more confused. "How is that supposed to make a difference? Drell are a Citadel recognized race. and you haven't done anything to incur his anger, unless there is something between you two I don't know about, so there is no reason why Kern should treat you like that." She paused to take a breath. "_Did_ you do something for him to target you?"

Jori sighed heavily at her questions and was about to continue explaining when he noticed her looking at him.

"What was that?" she asked.

Oh Kalahira take him now, he didn't suppress his hyoid when he sighed. He couldn't believe he just did that. He was usually good at suppressing the use of his hyoid, so much so, that it had become second nature. Of all the unsuitable times, why did he have to slip up now? Especially in front of a human, who were by nature uncomfortable around species with the ability to produce noise beyond human capacity or hearing range? Now she was going to-

"Can you do it again? That was fascinating." She suddenly asked.

What? She wanted him to do it again? Why?

He gazed at her, trying to find some hidden motive behind her request but found none.

"Please?" she urged him, then bit the side of her bottom lip in childlike wonder. Jori was momentarily distracted by that simple action before he quickly recovered.

"Ah…alright."

He took a deep enough breath to marginally inflate the air pockets in his throat, and slowly drew out a long low note that filled the room. He watched as Deena's eyes widened in further wonderment and amazingly her smile, that she gave so freely, grew. She looked so pleased with his demonstration.

"That is so cool. What vocal range do you have? Does it hurt? How often can you do it? Can you do it again?"

He was astonished at her reaction. She was genuinely excited about his natural ability to communicate beyond the spoken language and she wanted him to do it again. No one had ever wanted him to exhibit his vocal abilities for them nor shown such enthusiasm over them. This female, this human woman had once again confused him.

"Jori, may I?" She had approached him and was now standing right in front of him, easily within touching range. All he could do was stand there and watch as she reached both her hands up to gently place them over the air pockets of his throat. They were warm and soft, and as she touched him, something shifted inside, making his heart race. For some reason his breath hitched when she gave another smile, this one of encouragement. Did she have any clue as to what she was doing?

Watching her carefully, Jori took another deep breath, this time filling the air pockets a little more than before. Holding his breath, he searched for any kind of displeasure Deena may have portrayed. Cautiously he began to create a note at a moderately high pitch and slowly drew it down the range of sounds he could produce. Deena's expression turned serene as her eyes closed in concentration. As his note reached levels beyond the human hearing, her eyes popped back open, instantly connecting with his. Faltering the last few seconds, Jori finished exhaling and wondered where such a woman came from.

Two quick beeps drew her attention to her omni-tool. As a result, her hands lifted, leaving an imprint of warmth behind that slowly faded until he couldn't feel her touch anymore. That left him oddly disappointed. He watched her activate her omni-tool and pull up a message.

"Oh. Chuck wants to have lunch." She exclaimed before asking. "Would you like to come with us?"

Jori approached his station to give himself distance from her before answering, "No, thank you." Jori knew the invitation was only for her and if he arrived with her the whole situation would have been too awkward for everyone. It was still kind of her to extend an invite to him though.

"Alright, I'll let him know it's just me then."

Once she sent her reply, Deena went about pulling up and setting up the red sand overdose case for the two of them to work on, completely forgetting what had transpired a moment ago. Deciding to let things be, Jori followed suit and concentrated his thoughts and efforts on the case as well. Unfortunately he found it difficult to do so.

The rest of the week surprisingly continued with little hindrance to his daily routine, thanks to Deena. Every morning since she found Jori at the check point being held up by Kern, she seemed to meet up with him at some point along his route to work. The first time, he stepped off the elevator fully prepared to endure Kern's ornery behavior, only to find Deena waiting for him by the door with one of her smiles. A quick thank you to Kern and she had Jori through the doors in record time. The next day she found him in the elevator as she boarded and immediately struck up a mostly one-sided conversation with him. For the first time in a long time, no one deemed it necessary to bother him on his way to work.

During the day, she continued to chat away at him about everything and he found himself listening intently. He learned that she moved to the Citadel alone, leaving a large family behind on Earth and that she planned to return one day. He also learned that she just recently turned 27, that her favorite color was blue, that she loved to explore the various gardens of the Citadel and try new foods, and that of all the things she missed back home, she missed her cat Pookey the most.

As he listened, he constantly caught himself looking at her. Each time, he discovered something new about her. First, was the realization that she was always smiling, though never as big or as wide as when she was directing one at him. He then noticed that when she wasn't talking, she would move some part of her body in a rhythm, as if she was listening to a song in her head. She also always wore her hair up and almost never wore shoes with heels. Sensible.

Their case that week had developed with the addition of two more red sand overdoses lacking symptoms, bringing the total to three in just a couple weeks. While the first victim was a C-Sec officer stationed in the loading docks, the second was part of a system maintenance crew and the third worked at a bar. All three humans were middle aged males, with no family on the Citadel and no history of drug abuse, who had died while on their way home after their shifts. One more death under similar circumstances, and C-Sec would be called in to make an official inquiry. This would divert all of Jori and Deena's time to the case, making them the sole individuals to work with the bodies until the case was either solved or shelved.

On their fifth day of working together, Deena finally convinced Jori to go to lunch with her. It was foolish of him, but Jori felt nervous. He wasn't sure what to expect. Sure, he'd been approached by women on a rare few occasions, and had even been given consensual propositions, but never had anyone started a bonding courtship with him before. Few individuals outside of the hanar and drell species, knew the customs of drell bonding courtship and he highly doubted Deena realized she had initiated one between them.

It started when she had expressed so much interest in the sounds he could make. Normally drell males would demonstrate their vocal abilities to a female he was interested in and she would show interest in kind by encouraging certain vocalizations. If the initial inquiry was successful, then the female would seek the male out as often as she wished, asking him to join her in various social occasions. This would continue until she shared something about herself, or until either of the two parties wished to go their separate ways. This lunch was the next step in the bonding courtship, but he was almost positive it was just a coincidence.

Now, he found himself seated next to her, on a bench in one of the Citadel's gardens. They had picked up something to eat at a local café, where he received glares from many of the patrons. Thankfully, she didn't want to actually eat at the establishment so she lead them to a secluded bench where they could eat their lunch in relative quiet. Until she began talking again.

"So, Jori tell me about yourself. How long have you worked at the hospital? How long have you lived on the Citadel?"

"I uh…six years. I've worked for the hospital six years. Couple months more for living here."

"Oh, well that would make you…." She trailed off and waited. Jori looked at her wondering what she wanted him to say. He really had no clue where she was going with this.

She sighed as her shoulders stooped a bit, then she straightened up and asked bluntly, "How old are you?"

Oh…Oh! His eyes widened in realization. That what she was getting at.

"I'm 31." He answered after his moment of realization.

She brightened at him once more and opened her mouth to ask the next question when someone ran past them a little too close for comfort. Taking a moment to recover, she attempted to ask her questions again, when another person ran by. That was odd. Looking around, Jori noticed that people were flocking to vid screens and terminals.

"What's going on?" asked Deena as she noticed the commotion. With no immediate answers available, she stood up. "Come on. Let's go find out what has everyone so riled up."

Agreeing, he followed her to a nearby vid screen that showed a reporter for the Galactic News. As they got closer, he noticed the majority of the crowed was made up of humans and almost no one was talking.

"…Earth came under attack about an hour ago by an unknown military force. It appears the human Alliance did not have enough warning before their outer defenses went down along with some of their outlying colonies. Little is known at the moment as to what this outside force may be, but many believe they are the Reapers former Alliance Commander and ex-Citadel Spectre Shepard had tried to warn the Council about. All human military personnel are being asked to report to their commanding officers immediately and await further instruction. As more information comes in…"


	3. Chapter 3 - Earth and Customs

I want to apologize. I've forgotten twice to thank my awesome beta JaliceAZ and now I would like to catch up. Thank you and thank you. Oh! And thank you again for making my work look good with the correct use of the English Language, even if you don't get to beta my A/N

Thank you to my reviewers JaliceAZ, NiceNoob, and Cayar.

So, here's the next chapter of our installment.

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Jori didn't know what to do as he held onto a crying Deena. They were back at the bench beside their now forgotten lunch. After hearing the news of the attack on Earth, Deena had tried, unsuccessfully, to contact some of her family via omni-tool, but none of her messages had gotten through. It wasn't long before she had walked away in silent shock, leaving a perplexed Jori to follow. She sat down without a word, much to his surprise for she usually had plenty to say, and stared off at nothing in particular. Her uncharacteristic silence worried him. He had to say something to her, so he attempted to comfort her, only to have her break down in sobs.

Now he actually held her in his arms, to his astonishment, as she let out all the fear and uncertainty. The other day, during one of her one-sided conversations, she had told him about her family back on Earth. He understood from the way she talked about them, that she loved them dearly. And now? Now her home was under attack from an unverified source and more than likely her family was involved. He was no stranger to the agony of not knowing, to the dread that precedes the likelihood of the worst coming to pass. There was little he could do but be there for her as she fought through the emotional turmoil.

It was a while before Deena was able to calm down enough to be understood and answer the simple questions Jori asked, such as, "Would you like to go home?", "Is there anything I can do for you?", and "Are you sure you want to go back to the lab?" Her short answers of "No," "No", and "I'm sure," were also uncharacteristic in contrast to her usually long, explanatory replies.

Back at the labs, Deena kept to her side of the room, leaving a deafening silence broken only by the clinking and shuffling of the equipment they were using. The remainder of the day dragged on with Jori frequently stealing looks towards Deena, expecting her to break down again at any moment. He watched as the other humans in the labs, one by one, took the rest of the day off. Salan had come in to give his commiserations and offered Deena leave to go home if she needed. She politely refused before turning back to the sample she was examining.

When the clock marked the end of the work day, Jori retired his lab coat to its hook then waited for Deena to do the same as was their routine. He held the door open for her but she remained in place, pale and forlorn. Unsure of what else to do, he held his hand out to her, confident she wouldn't take it. He was surprised when she, yet again, contradicted his thoughts and gratefully accepted it.

With her warm hand now encased in his, they made their way to the elevator. Once inside the perpetually occupied car, she surprised him even further by leaning into him and resting her head on his shoulder. A few of the occupants took notice and gave looks of disapproval. One or two even gave thinly veiled remarks that Deena either didn't hear or ignored. Jori couldn't ignore them though. He knew what associating with him would cost her; rejection, insults, judgment, accusations. Everything that came with being a second class citizen in this galaxy. Yet at this moment, he couldn't care. She needed the comfort and if he was honest, he relished the closeness she was providing.

Enduring the censure, Jori thought of a way to continue this newfound, albeit temporary, familiarity. Clearing his throat, he asked her quietly, "Doctor Farthing, are you hungry?"

Deena looked up at him in confusion. She was probably wondering why he called her by her title instead of going by their agreed upon first name basis. She blinked up at him, then responded lethargically.

"I am a bit. Would you accompany me?" she asked.

Stealing a glance at the turian standing next to them, Jori nodded before giving a short, "If you would like."

At the next stop, the two got off and headed for a cluster of local restaurants. Jori led them to a small restaurant that he knew he was welcomed at. The human hostess lead them to a table in the back where Deena and Jori received their respective menu datapads.

Deena broke the silence of their perusal by commenting, "I miss menus back home."

Jori looked up at her statement. He knew she needed something to take her mind off the invasion, but this seemed an odd topic to start on. Still if that was what she wanted to talk about, then he would oblige her.

"I take it the menus on Earth are different?"

She scrunched her nose before answering. "Well, yes and no." He cocked his head in question. "The modern restaurants all try to outdo each other with electronic menus on their tables, walls, or even different objects that disappear when you're done ordering. But a lot just have the basic menu datapad. Makes it easier for updating." She set aside her menu and propped her chin on an upraised hand. "I miss the restaurants where I grew up. The kind that wrote daily specials on chalk boards, handed you grease stained, laminated, paper menus, and boasted their newest additions on little cards at your table. We used to always go out Thursdays, and try to find a new place to eat at that didn't have electronic this or that involved with ordering your food."

Jori gave a small grin. She was back to her usual self, at least for the moment. Grabbing her menu up, she placed her order before sliding it into the space in the wall reserved for that very thing, and watched as Jori followed suit.

Silence hung between them and Jori wondered how much time would go by before she started talking again. True to form, she picked up a utensil and fiddled with it as she asked. "What about Kahje? What are the restaurants like there?"

Caught off guard by the sudden interest in his home world, Jori stumbled over his thoughts before he was able to form an answer. "There are no restaurants."

At that, Deena sat up straight and put down the utensil she was twirling. She only ever remained still when something completely captured her attention. Jori took note that this was one of those instances.

"There aren't?" she asked.

"Ah…no. Well, I heard there is one in the embassies for off worlders but, no, there are no restaurants."

Deena looked at him expectantly. When he didn't answer she asked, "And?"

"And what?" he asked slowly in return.

"Have you ever had a conversation before, Jori?" Before he could answer that she continued, "Don't just answer questions. Elaborate your answers with explanations or stories. Or ask a question in return. The point of a conversation is to keep talking and not let silence make the date awkward."

What? They were on a date? He must have missed something on their way to dinner. He would have to review the memory later to see what it was he missed. Was this how human dates were supposed to happen? Eat a meal and talk about subjects that interested either party? Jori had always assumed humans liked to go to the clubs or casinos when they went on dates. Maybe she expected to go to one after they were done eating.

At the sound of Deena clearing her throat, Jori retreated from his musings.

"I apologize. I…on Kahje…." He didn't know where to, elaborate, as Deena put it.

Smiling at him, she helped him out by asking, "Where do unattached drell who live alone eat? What happens around meal time? Not everyone learns to cook their own meals."

Inwardly sighing in relief he told her, "Drell live in a, I believe you would call it a small-town society. Everyone knows everyone else. When someone lives alone, or is ill, or is unable to provide a meal for whatever reason, they are invited to join others in their home." He paused a moment then added. "Many times, groups of individuals will take turns and rotate the responsibility of the meal every day so one might only have to worry about a couple meals a week. Because everyone knows one another, no one is left without an invitation. As a result, no one goes hungry. Restaurants would disrupt this tradition in drell society."

"Really?" she asked in amazement. "Is that why few drell leave Kahje?"

He thought about that and realized it was probably true. Drell depended too much on intradependent social customs to comfortably live anywhere else. It did explain quite a bit.

Not wanting to receive another lecture about conversation, Jori said, "I believe so. It never really occurred to me before, that that would be why few drell venture beyond Kahje."

"Do the hanar participate?"

"No. They are asked to join but they always politely refuse. I believe it's because of how they eat."

Deena's eyes widened. "How do they eat? I've never seen one actually eat."

Jori grimaced, "It isn't pleasant. I don't know if I can describe it."

She laughed but before she could inquire further, their food arrived, effectively stopping the trail of conversation. A few bites into his meal, Jori realized Deena was lost in her thoughts and pushing her food around on her plate. He could tell she was thinking about her family again and the situation on Earth. She was working her bottom lip between her teeth, unaware of what was happening around her. He decided he didn't like it when she was like this and strove for a topic of conversation she would enjoy. He found she was at her happiest when she was talking about things she loved. Searching his memory to come up with something, he landed on one from their second day of working together and relived it momentarily.

"If I may ask, what is a cat? I believe you own one named Pookey, correct?"

At his questions, she came out of her despair with a fond smile and began to describe the creature in question. As the meal went on, Jori ended up asking her more questions about her cat than he thought he would. But anything was worth seeing her smile like that, even if it wasn't for him.

Skipping dessert, they left the restaurant in a lighter mood than when they entered. Neither seemed to want to leave the other, so they ended up walking around the Citadel with no destination in mind. As usual, Deena dominated the conversation but Jori was keeping up his end quite well. He discovered he enjoyed talking about nothing in particular and silently wished others would accept him as easily as Deena did.

He also discovered that he enjoyed holding Deena's hand while they walked through another garden. They had a little difficulty at first with the placement of their fingers, but with an adjustment on her part, they figured it out. It was a peculiar sensation to be in constant contact with another like this. Despite that, Jori firmly held on to her hand as if he might lose her. And he didn't want to lose her. For once since beginning his life on the Citadel, he felt wanted. Fulfilled. He relished her company too much and was beginning to think in terms of longevity with her. He was even toying with the idea of skipping the next two steps of the bonding courtship so he could claim her as his female.

How did she come to mean so much to him so quickly? He knew it was dangerous territory to think like that and he knew he couldn't keep her forever. So he settled for the here and now with her. And their conversations.

They had been slowly walking along one of the many large fountains that can be found everywhere on the Citadel. Somehow they got on the topic of what happens after humans marry and drell bond. He was astonished at the variety of customs humans hold in that area and wondered which one Deena followed.

"So, drell males leave their parents' household when they come of age and when they…bond?" she looked at him for confirmation. At his nod she continued, "The males move into their new mate's family home…What happens if the female dies?"

"The male stays with her family. He has become an important asset to the family by then. If he chooses to bond with another female, he will move and become a part of the new family while keeping in touch and fulfilling obligations with his birth family and first bonded family."

"What if there are children?" Deena continued. "Usually on Earth, children stay with the surviving parent. Sometimes they stay with grandparents or other family members. Do children follow their father to his new family?" She looked up at Jori at her last question and found that he was no longer paying attention to her.

Jori was instead distracted by another large congregation of individuals. Every vid and terminal broadcasting the Galactic News was surrounded. The scene was just like at lunch when the news of the attack on Earth was released. Only this time, the majority of the crowd was made up of batarians.

"What's going on?" Deena softly asked. Worry and fear were very much evident in her voice.

He looked down at her and silently led them to the nearest vid screen.

"…ago all communication was lost with the batarian home world Khar'shan. A handful of distress beacons have since been received over the past hour, but none conclusive enough to identify the reason for all of Khar'shan's comm buoys to go down. Many are speculating that the same force that invaded Earth earlier today is responsible."


	4. Chapter 4 - Sand and Date

**Since this is a short story and it has a deadline I am unable to draw the romance out as much as I would like, or the timeline. It's a challenge for me to condense things and keep more than just their relationship in the story but that's why this is fun.**

**Thanks a million to JaliceAZ for your beta mastery.**

* * *

Jori leaned back from the counter he was seated at and sighed in confusion. Yesterday, the red sand case he and Deena had been working on had officially become C-Sec property with the finding of a fourth overdose victim: a dock worker who worked in the same area that the first victim was assigned to guard. Earlier that morning, Jori had taken his own samples, from the now inaccessible bodies, that he thought pertinent to the case. One of which, nasal tissue from the second victim, was currently confusing Jori.

He looked over at Deena who was avidly comparing samples of her own. A week had gone by since they found out about Earth and Khar'shan. Reports of the devastation still trickled in from Earth, along with the confirmation that it was the Reapers attacking. But other reports came in about resistances on Earth and the multitude of survivors fighting for their home. These reports gave Deena hope and made her smile. Jori was always grateful for that smile.

They had continued sharing lunches together during work days, but dinner between them was not repeated. At the end of each day, they parted from each other at their respective stops and their routine still included meeting on their way to work. They kept a professional, yet friendly relationship in the labs. As usual, she would talk away the day while he listened. Outside of the labs, they continued to hold hands, but neither of them attempted to go beyond that and neither brought it up. Jori suspected it was just a sign of human friendship. Still, every time her hand reached for his, his heart pounded in his chest and his hand would visibly shake for a moment until they touched. Then he became steady as a rock.

He wanted to know where they stood, but he didn't know how to ask her and admittedly, he was afraid of the answer.

"Having any luck with your sample?" Deena asked while looking through a microscope.

Jori pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed in exasperation, allowing his hyoid to rumble his annoyance. "No. The quantity of red sand absorbed through the nasal cavity is nowhere near enough to cause death."

"I'm getting similar results too. None of the nerve samples taken show any evidence of red sand stimulation, and dopamine levels appear normal in all four victims." She looked up at him. "The red sand is there in the system but it's like something stopped the body midway through the usual process of absorption."

Jori picked up a datapad and began taking notes. "With the lack of evidence, I believe it's safe to assume the cause of death is not by overdose."

"Then what?" Deena asked. "We've checked the bodies. There are no signs of struggle, nothing broken, and all the organs were in perfect working condition. Well, except for the one with a drinking problem, but still." She was beginning to sound irritated with their case and its dead ends.

"And all tests come back negative for chemical imbalances," he added absent-mindedly. "Hold on a moment."

Jori sat still as he dove into a memory he had just recalled.

* * *

Jori was making his way to the stores to stock up for the day's workload when he passed a small group of doctors discussing a case. Jori wouldn't have stopped, but he heard something that caught his attention.

"I was originally looking for indications of a red sand overdose, but was getting nowhere until one of the results came up weird," the human doctor boasted. "It showed two chemicals foreign to both the human body and red sand. In fact I've never encountered them before."

"What were they?" a salarian asked.

"Hell if I know. But I sent samples up to the chem labs to be analyzed at the molecular level. Turns out one of them is extremely toxic. Just a small amount within the brain cavity can shut down the brain instantaneously. The other is harmless to humans but, and this is where I was amazed, when exposed to cerebrospinal fluid, it breaks down the first toxin in such a way that it destroys itself."

"How did you find it?" the same salarian asked.

The human snorted, "Luck. I found traces in the blood stream. The proportions where off so they weren't able to break down like the way they're designed to- Something I can help you with Doctor Rannta?"

* * *

Jori left the memory before he relived the worst part of it and brought his attention back to his partner, who was watching him intently with one of her smiles.

"Did you just, what do you call it? With your memory? " She asked with admiration.

He inwardly brightened at her enthusiasm over another drell trait before replying, "Solipsism. Yes, I just did and I believe I may have a lead on our case."

Deena laughed and bounced up and down a couple times before wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a spontaneous hug. Before he could react to her embrace, she pulled away and picked up a datapad. She returned to her stool, dutifully waiting for his explanation. Sometimes he felt like he could get whiplash at the rate she changed moods.

The rest of the afternoon was spent pouring over Chuck's old case, looking for similarities between his and their own. Everything matched, except that no traces of the aforementioned chemicals could be found anywhere in their samples. Deena was confounded until Jori pointed out that the bodies ranged from a few days, to a couple weeks old; traces could have deteriorated over would have to wait for a new victim to conduct a new and accurate test.

Ready to call it a day, Jori waited for Deena by the door as usual. He watched as she fiddled with one of the datapads before taking her lab coat off. She seemed troubled, which had Jori worried. They hadn't received any new news about Earth since lunch so she shouldn't be worried about that. Was she sweating? Was she ill?

Jori was about to ask if she was alright when she took a deep breath as if to speak, then stopped. Giving her a moment, he watched as she took two more breaths as if fortifying herself for something.

"Jori?" she tentatively asked.

She wasn't looking at him. She always looked at him when she wanted to ask him something. Something must be wrong. But what?

Bringing himself down from his sudden panic, Jori answered her, "Yes?"

"Wouldyougotodinnerwithme?" she blurted out. She added, "As in a date," before he had even completely registered what she said.

A date! She wanted to go on a date with him. Why? Didn't she know it was taboo to associate with a drell on an intimate level? What did she see in him? Jori had to mentally slap himself. _Why are you questioning this? You've wanted this for a while now._ By now he should have learned that she wasn't like the others. She didn't judge him for his status or species. She accepted him for who he was, appreciated it even. He had to let go and trust that she wasn't going to turn on him. If she hadn't done so by now, then she wasn't going to. That wasn't who she was.

Deena became flustered by his silence. "Never mind. Forget I said anything. You don't have to go to dinner with me. I'll just…I'll see you next week." She made a hasty retreat down the hall, before he thought to react. She had only made it halfway when one of the other human colleagues called to her.

"Deena!"

She stopped and looked at the man, "Yes, Lee?"

Lee cleared his throat, "I was wondering, if you were free tonight. Would you like to go to dinner with me?"

"Oh!" she exclaimed, a bit surprised. "Well I don't-"

"Don't say no," Lee stepped closer and captured her arm, unknowingly gaining the adverse attention of a tall and angry drell. "Being cooped up with that drell all day, you must be wanting some human interaction."

She presented Lee with a dirty look. "Well, Lee, thats kind of you, but I-"

"Deena," interrupted Jori's deep graveling voice. "We still on for dinner tonight?"

She looked at him in bewilderment, until she saw the sincerity in his eyes. Her mouth slowly lifted at the corners and continued widening until she was giving him one of the smiles she reserved only for him.

"Yes, Jori. We are."


	5. Chapter 5 - Blood and Flowers

**Props and thanks go to my beta JaliceAZ for working overtime for me. And for coming up with a better alternative korgan insult. Thanks once again for your reviews.**

* * *

For the first time in two weeks, Jori was heading to work at the Huerta Memorial Hospital alone. Deena had sent him a message. She had gone in early to check on some results. They had been hoping for another body to come in over the weekend so they could test out their new theory. It was wrong to hope for another death for the benefit of the case, but if their theory on these deaths being multiple homicides was true, the sooner another body came in, the sooner future deaths could be prevented.

Waiting for the elevator to arrive, Jori thought back to their first official date the other evening. After Lee had walked away from them in disgust, they meekly agreed to go home and change before meeting again at the restaurant. settled on one of the more human outfits he owned. Finding drell clothing stores off of Kahje was practically impossible, so he often shopped at human stores because of their similar body structure.

On the way to the restaurant, he had debated whether he should get her something or not. Sweets? No, they were meeting to eat. Jewelry? No, it was their first date, it would send the wrong message. Flowers? Yes, she loved the gardens and always commented on the various flowers they encountered. He made a detour only to realize his decision was just made harder with the variety of choices at the flower shop. It had taken him forever to narrow his choices down, when he realized it probably wouldn't be the best idea to walk around with a bunch of flowers. Giving the flora one last glance, he left the shop and headed to the restaurant empty handed. It had probably been for the best, for when he saw her standing there in a soft blue dress, he completely forgot how to breathe, or how to walk, for that matter.

The elevator finally arrived and Jori got onto another crowded car still smiling at the memory. Usually he would be wary of the others around him, but after two weeks of having Deena escort him to work, it didn't even cross his mind to catalog the unfriendly faces. He was too distracted with thoughts of her laughter and smiles. The mild jokes she had executed in unsuccessful attempts to make him laugh. The interesting word game she had started that lasted throughout the night. And when he left her at the elevator to go their separate ways, they had exchanged links to each other's omni-tools.

He wanted to get her something today and thought back to the flowers he sought to buy before. He got off at the next stop to quickly purchase a single pale blue blossom which shared the same shade as the dress she wore that night. Tucking the flower inside his jacket, he made his way back to the elevator.

He almost reached the doors, when he was suddenly pulled into a side corridor and thrown against a wall. Instinct told him to fight, but the threat of two krogan towering over him reminded him to stay put.

"So the quadsucker thinks it's a broodmate, now?" the red one asked in the deep grunty voice so characteristic of his species.

"I-"

Pain exploded across his jaw, cutting his response off. The other krogan, the grey one, had slugged him.

"He didn't say you could talk," barked the grey one.

The red one sneered at Jori and growled at him, "You don't deserve a female, doesn't matter if she's just a human. A pretty one, but a human nonetheless."

Jori's eyes widened at the mention of Deena, then his memory involuntarily kicked in before he could divert it.

* * *

Deena had been happily chatting away at him in the elevator when Jori noticed the two krogan in the back of the car shift. He looked up and they sneered at him.

* * *

Watching as Deena checked her omni-tool for any messages from Earth, Jori overheard grumbling from the back of the car. Looking around, he spotting the krogan from before, one red and one grey.

* * *

Taking Deena's bagged lunch so she could adjust her shoe, Jori was knocked into the open door of the elevator. Quickly rebounding, his assailant was the grey krogan.

"Piece of shit," the krogan spat.

* * *

Leaving his memories behind, Jori looked the bigger krogan in the eye, "The elevator."

"Hah, that's right you little runt," the red one mocked. "The elevator. I've been wanting to get my hands on one of you fucking drell."

Jori couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

The grey one stepped in and got in Jori's face, "Because we don't like your kind. losing your home world just like the quarians. And we don't like your sneaky ways. If you're going to kill someone, come at them face to face with a quad."

Of course he was referring to the popular profession of many drell. Being covert mercenaries, spies, and assassins for the hanar.

The red one shouldered the other one aside and gripped Jori's neck. "One of your kind assassinated our cousin last year in cold blood and you're going to pay in his stead."

And there it was. The reason for their harassment. It wasn't the first time he was targeted like this and it wouldn't be the last.

Jori didn't have time to brace himself before one of their fists connected with his ribs. As he struggled to catch his breath, blow after blow connected with his torso and face. He refused to put up a fight. He wanted to, oh how he wanted to, but he had made a vow, and he was going to abide by it. Soon he began to feel numb to the assault on his body, making it more tolerable to withstand.

The beating was interrupted by a turian C-Sec officer. He and reprimanded the two krogan with a light warning. The officer then told Jori to get going and threatened to charge the battered drell with loitering. Jori was not surprised by the treatment and acquiesced. He was grateful when he reached the elevator and found it occupied with only a lone salarian, studying a datapad.

At his floor, Jori slowly made his way to the security checkpoint and found Kern standing at his access panel. He fully expected Kern to pull one of his stalling stunts.

"The hell happened to you?" Kern's double-toned voice asked.

Jori was in too much pain to bother talking so he just stared at Kern, willing him to put two and two together. It didn't take long, for him to actually do so and without another word he gave Jori immediate access to the labs without requesting verification. Relieved, he walked to his assigned lab and sought out the first aid kit. He sat down at a nearby table to administer his findings.

"Jori, is that you?" came Deena's query from the other room.

Gods, he couldn't believe he forgot about Deena. He didn't want her to see him like this. He didn't want to subject her to the reality of being a drell. If he wasn't careful, she could get hurt just for associating with him. The fact that the two krogan mentioned her, testified to that. It was too late now though. She was going to come in and see it all.

As if on cue, she walked through the doorway. "Jori, I was thinking about the-" she cut herself off with a gasp. "Oh my god," she breathed, then rushed to his side. Stopping just within reach, she took in his appearance. "Jori what happened? Are you alright?"

Jori exhaled sharply before bringing himself to look at her. She gasped again at the sight of his face. Her hand reached out to touch his cheek, but stopped before it made contact. Wanting to divert the pain and feel her touch, he captured her hovering hand in his and gently pressed it to his face. Closing his eyes, he sighed at the feel of her soft skin on his.

"I was attacked by two krogan on my way in," he explained.

"Why?" she asked in a wobbly voice.

"Because I'm a drell," he said simply.

He didn't need to explain further. Over the weekend they had begun to message each other via omni-tool. In one of those messages she had asked him why there was so much prejudice against drell on the Citadel. It took him a while, but he explained what it meant to not have a home world anymore and the fear and hatred towards a race who were known for assassinating others upon request of another race.

Deena gave a sniff and leaned into him, placing her forehead against his.

"I'm so sorry this happened Jori," she whispered.

Unable to keep himself from doing so, he reached up with his free hand and sank his fingers into her hair to cup her head. He held her to him, just basking in the feeling of someone caring for him and his wellbeing. It gave him strength to put the wrong behind him and move forward in hopes of something better to come.

After a few minutes he pulled back, "It's not your fault Deena…There was nothing you could do."

She protested, "But if I didn't come in early-"

"No," he interrupted. "Don't blame yourself. I have a feeling that even if you were there, they would of done the same thing. It's better this way. I don't want to see you hurt."

He watched as she let loose a tear and fought back a sob. Mindful of his injuries, she carefully embraced him. When she pulled back he watched her as she rummaged through the kits he collected and began to administer to him.

He reached up to stop her, "You don't have to do that."

She smiled at him through watery eyes and countered, "But I want to...let me...please."

He relinquished her hand and sat still so she could clean him up. He watched as she methodically wiped away his blood and applied the medi-gel to the few cuts and scrapes he acquired on his face. There was little she could do about the developing bruises but give him medicine to ease the pain. Once his face was taken care of, she asked him to show her his torso so she could assess his injuries.

Seeing she wouldn't relent until she was assured of his health, Jori slowly removed his jacket and the following layers, all the while locking eyes with Deena. He watched her tremble a bit when he removed his outer shirt, exposing his lean, muscular arms. Her breath hitched when his undershirt hit the floor, revealing to her his muscular physique. When she just stood there ogling his body, he politely cleared his voice, making her snap to.

Her cheeks flushed a nice shade of pink, which Jori found he rather liked, as she began to administer to his additional injuries. Reaching over towards the first aid kit, Deena paused and looked down.

"What's that?"

Jori followed her gaze and saw the crushed form of the forgotten flower he purchased for her and guilt washed over him. Deena bent down to pick it up. Cradling it in her hands she looked at Jori.

"I, ah...I bought it for you on my way in," he said lamely, wishing he could have presented her with one that wasn't as mangled.

"For me?" she asked shyly.

He nodded his confirmation.

"Oh, Jori," she whispered.

Two things happened at once. The first being the flower she was holding became a casualty once more. The second being Deena suddenly flinging herself into Jori's arms. She pulled back in apology when he grunted in pain, then promptly and shockingly kissed him.

Fire, like he'd never felt before, erupted throughout his body as Deena kissed him and he reciprocated her actions. She was soft and warm, so very warm. And she felt perfect molded against his body, wrapped in his arms, willingly kissing him. His body hummed with instant desire and tightened in readiness for her. He wanted to continue the kiss, be he knew they had to stop before they got carried away.

Pulling back, Jori breathed heavily while telling her, "We should stop this. Salan would not be happy if he walked in on us…"

He trailed off at the look of complete happiness she gave him. She giggled and agreed to his logic, then quickly finished taking care of him, all the while stealing quick kisses whenever she could.


	6. Chapter 6 - Precautions and Finally

**So I think I actually do better under pressure. This is all due in just a few days and I'm belting out chapter after chapter, putting my beta into over drive. By the way, thank you JaliceAZ for giving me your weekend. I will return the favor one day.**

**I give love to my reviewers, you know who you are.**

* * *

Jori woke up the next day with a smile. All the previous day, Deena had continuously kissed him whenever and wherever she could. When he handed her a test tube, she kissed him in thanks. When he sat up to stretch after bending over a microscope for so long, she kissed him, instantly taking away the tension. When he asked her for a data pad, she had happily demanded a kiss before she handed it over. Needless to say, he obliged with little protest. She even pulled his head down at the end of the day and gave him a long and lingering kiss in front of all the occupants of their elevator before letting him depart at his stop. It had been the most wonderful day of his life.

Today was turning out to be just as kiss-filled as the day before. Deena was again kissing him at every opportunity. Even gave him one in front of Kern, who was struck speechless. Jori really couldn't complain, because he stole a kiss or two from her as well.

The encounter with the krogan had been forgotten for the most part. Jori had learned his lesson and returned to his old habit of guarded vigilance wherever he went. At lunch, Deena curiously asked him why he kept looking around.

He replied, "Just a precaution." And she seemed to understand.

The following day, the entire Citadel was rocked again by an unexpected report from the Galactic news.

"The turian colony of Taetrus has been lost to the now confirmed Reaper forces who are also responsible for the attacks on the batarian homeworld of Khar'shan and the human homeworld known as Earth. Reports are coming in stating that the turian homeworld, Palaven, along with it's outlying outposts, are now fully under attack by the Reapers who are meeting heavy resistance.

"The newly reinstated Commander Shepard, of the human military alliance, has survived the attack on Earth and is making her way to the Citadel. She is expected to arrive within a few hours and will be meeting with the Council shortly upon arrival."

The news of the turians failing again at what they were so well known for, shook many who believed in their militaristic abilities. Especially the turians themselves. The mood on the Citadel was changing with the arrival of hundreds of refugees who were fortunate enough to escape the invasions. The duties of the hospital, and in turn the labs, was also changing to accommodate the influx.

Doctors in every area of the hospital were now required to work extended shifts on the emergency and patient levels, helping out wherever needed. When Salan informed everyone working in the labs, Jori approached him privately and asked if it was a good idea for him to be treating patients who might not appreciate him.

"Why not?" Salan asked. "If they come to the hospital asking for care, then they have no choice who their doctor is."

Jori had no counter to Salan's argument, so he accepted his new assignment and retreated to his lab to find Deena. She was updating her schedule when he arrived and had happily abandoned it to give him a proper greeting. Even though they had just been together moments ago, he really didn't mind.

Over the next few weeks, the two of them tried to follow their usual routine, but were unsuccessful due to having to alternate time with patients. To compensate, they began to get together during their off days. Walks, talks, catching vids, and simply sitting in a new garden Deena discovered, filled their time together. Of course, every single one of their outings was initiated by Deena.

Jori had begun to suspect that she actually knew what she was doing. She had followed every step of the drell bonding courtship so far. He fully expected for her to tell him something about herself, but she never did. Maybe she was following Earth customs and was waiting for him to do something. He really needed to look it up on the extranet soon.

Two more bodies, suspected victims of red sand overdose, came in during that time, giving them the samples they needed to check their theory. Neither body's tests came up positive for the chemicals they were searching for at first, but when they ran them again with a greater quantity, one came up positive. Reaching a breakthrough in their work, Deena had bounced on her toes in excitement and caught Jori in a long and demanding kiss that left the both of them breathless.

He was becoming frustrated from all the attention she was giving him. Oh he loved it, couldn't be happier. The problem was with all the touching, kisses, and close interaction they kept, his body was burning up for some sort of release. He had looked up what humans called his situation and the closest description he found was 'blue balls'. Interesting concept, but not exactly what he was going through. When drell men were frustrated this way, it wasn't exactly a painful situation that could be solved by hand, so to speak.

There was a chemical reaction in the drell body that only occurred when they found relief with another. Unlike humans, the sexual chemistry for drell resulted in a heady and powerful set of hormones that were only released under specific circumstances. Once in the presence of a female emitting enough pheromones, his own body would respond with a hormone cocktail that, once released into the bloodstream, could only be counteracted by the stimulants released upon sexual completion with a female. Jori was surprised to learn that human pheromones were similar enough to instigate the "problem." Which would explain why Deena had triggered his own response.

Jori was definitely fighting off the nagging sense of tension, it wasn't anything he couldn't reign in. Still though, when she looked at him sometimes, her eyes and the look on her face made his blood boil with want. Gods damn customs.

Another week had gone by and Jori found himself working double the shifts with patients than he was supposed to. He couldn't prove it, but he believed Chuck had messed with the schedule, giving his attending hours to Jori to do on top of his own. Now he worked a late shift, missing his time with Deena, to knock out as many attending hours as he could. Assigned to one of the main levels of the hospital, he restocked the rooms with medi-gel and other medicines frequently used. Stooping to retrieve a wayward kit, he was interrupted by one of the Salarian doctors.

"Ah, Doctor Rannta."

Jori stood. "Doctor Palon. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is. Could you attend a patient with me?"

Jori felt uncomfortable having to work with another patient since the majority tended to shy away from him. He was hoping he could simply complete menial tasks throughout this shift, but it seemed the gods were against him. Agreeing to help, he followed.

"I have a peculiar patient, Doctor Rannta," Doctor Palon explained while tapping away at a datapad. "You see, I've been trying to convince him to consent to a procedure that I know will save his life but he refuses to listen. I want you to help me convince him."

Inwardly Jori sighed. Like anyone would listen to him. "I will try Doctor Palon."

Entering one of the hospital rooms behind Doctor Palon, Jori quickly recovered from shock. The patient was another drell, one he recognized. Instantly, he understood the situation.

Turning to the other doctor, Jori said, "I will talk with him and come find you when I'm done."

Nodding and smiling, Doctor Palon left. Jori watched as the door slid shut before turning to the other drell.

"Thane," he acknowledged.

The other drell dipped his head in greeting, "Jori, it's been a long time."

Involuntarily, Jori slipped into the memory of when the two of them last spoke.

* * *

Thane approached Jori alone the night of the funeral. Irikah had only been cast to the sea a few hours earlier and already Thane was leaving the family behind, again. Jori had never really understood how his cousin could have stayed with such a male. Though he was never around, she never faltered in her devotion to him. And now that male was quietly standing next to him, regarding the open sea.

"I don't know why I've come to you," Thane began. "But I wanted to speak with someone who might one day forgive me."

Jori looked at the other male's profile. "After all you put her through, you think I would be willing to-"

"Not today. But… perhaps one day in the future."

Jori sighed in defeat and turned back to the sea, thinking that was all Thane wanted to speak with him about.

"I know your vow forbids you from doing physical harm, but I ask that you take care of yourself when you are on the Citadel. The atmosphere towards drell is….not kind."

With nothing else to say, Jori gave a polite, "Thank you," but was mildly surprised when he found that Thane had already disappeared.

* * *

Returning to the now older male, Jori skimmed over the medical file and smirked at the alias Thane was using.

"I understand why you are here," Jori spoke. "And I also understand why you would not like to undergo the lung transplant Doctor Palon is encouraging." He looked up in time to catch the quick look of surprise Thane immediately hid.

"Then why are you-?

"Doctor Palon has high hopes for you and he asked me to convince a patient of his to undergo a lifesaving procedure…I'll talk with him."

Thane tilted his head in thanks, "Thats all that I ask. Thank you."

Turning to leave, Jori paused to ask, "Is...is there anything I can do for you?"

Silence followed his question and he thought it would go unanswered until, "I will find you if I require anything."

With that, Jori left.

The following few weeks left Jori exhausted, wanting nothing more than his bed, with the exception of Deena. He hadn't seen her much lately and had missed her constant attention. It was a pleasant surprise when he opened his apartment door one evening to find her holding a bag with a delicious smell coming from it and smiling just for him.

She suggested a vid while eating in and he inspected the food while she found something to watch. Settling into the couch, Jori watched as Deena happily settled down next to him. The vid she chose was Fleet and Flotilla, one he never saw before and one that hit home for him, in more ways than one.

Setting her remaining dinner aside, Deena snuggled into his side, resting her head against his shoulder. Her closeness was having an effect on him that only worsened when she began to draw lazy shapes on his chest.

"Jori?"

"Hmm?"

"I want to tell you something that I've never told anyone before."

His mind blanked as she said the words that he had been anticipating and dreading at the same time.

She continued, "There is a belief on Earth called 'love at first sight'. It's when someone sees someone else for the first time and instantly knows that person is the one to spend their life with. Unfortunately, the majority don't believe in it and write it off, but...I believe in it."

Jori's heart sped up as she told him this and his thoughts raced. She sat up, tucking her legs under her, and became engrossed with her twisting hands, resting on her thighs.

"My first day at the labs, I met someone for the first time ever and I knew, just knew he was the one for me. The one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. But I knew nothing about him or where he came from, so when I got home that day, I searched the extranet and researched everything I could find." She stopped to look at him. "Including the bonding courtship of the drell."

He sat there taking in everything she said. She had known from the beginning what she was doing, had even sought out an appropriate approach, so she wouldn't unintentionally cross the wrong cultural line. He was amazed with her all over again and humbled to have someone actually care enough to go to such thoughtful lengths.

Leaning towards her, he captured her lips and drew her body against his. Cupping the back of her head and threading his fingers through her silky hair, Jori continued to clutch her closer and closer until she was sitting in his lap. She moaned into his mouth when her bottom settled over his covered arousal, causing him to forget how to breathe.

His hands wandered down her supple body, stealing caresses here and there, then settled at her waist. He fingered the hem of her shirt, wanting to dive underneath to touch her, but not wanting to go too far. She seemed to know exactly what he was thinking for she rucked her shirt up enough to expose her stomach and the long expanse of her back. Reverently, he smoothed his hands up her back and held her even closer until she pulled back.

"Jori," she breathed. "I want to touch you."

Without hesitation he lifted her off his lap to place her beside him and hastily removed his outer shirt. Her hands stopped his when he reached for his undershirt and she took over, pulling the unwanted garment over his head. She sat back to take him in and for a moment he felt insecure. Did she like what she saw? He had always assumed the dark, almost black markings on his body were attractive to females.

Suddenly ripping her own shirt off, she eased his worries by launching herself at him, knocking him back so she was sprawled on top. She eagerly kissed him again, introducing her tongue into the delight. Her hands roamed his exposed body, seemingly with the single-minded goal to touch everything she could. He mirrored her enthusiasm and sought out areas of her body he hadn't explored yet.

When he reached down to cup her bottom and her hips jerked against his, sending a wave of pleasure through him, he couldn't stand it anymore. Sitting up, he wrapped her legs around his body all while continuing their kiss. He stood with ease, supporting her completely, and made his way to the bedroom.

"Wait," she breathed after pulling back, making him stop. "What about following the steps of the courtship? We're missing some."

He quickly replied, "It's ok." And pressed her closer in an attempt to kiss her again while returning to his path.

She pulled back once more. "But the extranet said-"

Jori cut her words off with a long heated kiss before answering her in a very gravelly voice, "When drell leave Kahje, they tend to adopt the customs around them." He kissed her again. Deeper and longer than the last. "But if you would like, we can stop and follow the bonding courtship the way you want."

"No!" she almost screamed. "I like this, this is perfectly fine."

He smiled at her. "As my lady wishes."


	7. Chapter 7 - Bruises and Love

**I'm reaching the home stretch. Next chapter will be the last one for this short little story. Thank you once again JaliceAz for your awesome beta skills.**

* * *

Jori lay naked in bed holding on to an equally naked Deena. She was asleep, hair delightfully tousled, and she was the most beautiful creature he had ever beheld. He couldn't sleep, but he found he really didn't want to. He was too busy watching her sleep and reliving the memories.

The sighs of pleasure she emitted every time he discovered something new to touch. The groans and gasps that escaped her lips every time he found that spot inside her. How she felt wrapped around him, slick with heat and grasping tightly, as if her body didn't want to let him go. The feel of her nails, grasping at him as she fell apart beneath him. The rumble of his chest as he growled out her name in the double tone she told him she loved, while he released deep inside her. Merging with her. Breathing with her. Knowing with her.

Just thinking about their lovemaking, made him want her all over again. Gently rolling her over, careful not to wake her, he rose up between her splayed legs and took her in. She wore a love bite where her neck curved to her shoulder he had given her. Her hip held the beginning of light bruising from his fingertips from grasping her a little too tightly when he first experienced her unimaginable warmth. And her lips were still plump from the kisses they shared. She was so beautiful.

He couldn't envision a more perfect female for him. She was so easy to get along with, simple things delighted her, she always had something to say, and she could care less what others thought of being with him. But most importantly, she had become so much a part of him in such a short amount of time, that he couldn't imagine living without her now.

Leaning forward, Jori kissed her stomach, her sternum, her breast and collar bone. He trailed his lips up her neck and smiled when he both felt and heard her moan. Skimming her jaw, he finally reached her parted lips and kissed her awake. Her arms rose up and encircled his shoulders, a hand trailing up the back of his neck. Pulling back, he looked down into a sea of such sweet emotion and faltered at the realization of the depth of her feelings for him.

Love. He saw love. It couldn't be anything but. His heart clenched at this new comprehension and he kissed her, trying to convey everything he felt for her. Unable to stop himself, he lifted her leg to curl around his waist and rocked his hips to slide into the sweetest home he ever knew.

A few days later, Jori was happily lost in his memory of their time together while sitting absentmindedly at his table in the lab. He lost track of how many times he found himself slipping away in the middle of work, but he couldn't bring himself to care enough to stop it. He was happy. Happy beyond all memory and he didn't want it to end.

'"Jori," Deena called to him.

He blinked and turned to find her standing next to him, her soft and oh-so-sensitive skin within reach. He wanted to touch her skin again.

She said, a little sterner this time, "Jori. You have got to stop it with the memories at work. You're going to get into trouble."

"Mmmm," he answered noncommittally and purposely focused on her chest, one of his newfound delights. He sensually rumbled, "But I love these memories," then leaned forward to grab her up in such a way that his face was conveniently pressed between her breasts.

"Jori!" she squealed. She both heard and felt a rumbling "hmm?" pass through her chest, causing her to shiver. "You have to stop it. We're at work." When he didn't move to let go, she asked, "Do you really love them."

Knowing she wasn't talking about her breasts but the memories, he regretfully pulled back so he could look up at her.

Gazing at the most beautiful female in the galaxy he told her, "Almost as much as the woman in them."

She gasped and breathed, "Oh, Jori," before leaning down to kiss him.

A few nights later, Deena and Jori walked arm in arm, towards a restaurant she had been wanting to check felt uneasy about the location, but she'd had her eye on it for a while, so he acquiesced. Things seemed to go better for him while she was around, perhaps he was being a little too apprehensive.

As they approached the entrance, Jori's feeling of unease turned into discomfort followed by mild fear. The looks he was receiving, no, the looks _they_ were receiving were increasing by the minute. This wasn't a good idea.

"Ah, Deena?" he started, gaining her attention. "Why don't we come back another time?"

She giggled, "Oh come on everything will be fi-"

"You." barked a nearby turian Jori had never seen before. "What do you think you are doing here?"

"We were just leaving," explained Jori.

"No we weren't," Deena countered. "We were heading to dinner." Jori cringed and prepared to defuse the situation, but before he could say anything, a couple of humans approached them, looking to be just as malicious as the turian.

"Is there a problem?" one of them asked.

The turian turned to them. "Yeah, these two think they are allowed to eat around here."

The other man laughed, "Who? This overgrown lizard and his scale clover?"

Jori slowly moved, keeping his eyes on all three males while he inserted himself in between them and Deena. She quickly caught on to the severity of the situation and accepted his gentle guidance.

He attempted once more to verbally remove themselves from the situation. "Gentlemen, just let us leave and we won't come around here again."

He instantly saw his words falling far short of what he intended, and racked his mind for a way to get Deena out of there before she got hurt. They were talking about teaching him a lesson. Suddenly Deena stepped out from behind him. He reached to grab for her, but she was yanked away from him by one of the men. Jori immediately tensed to strike but the memory of his vow emerged and he grudgingly relaxed his stance, ready to take whatever was thrown at him.

As the turian proceeded to beat him, Jori could hear Deena's cries of protest interspersed with calling out his name. It broke his heart to see her subjected to this.

Being knocked to his hands and knees, he was able to view Deena, struggling against the two humans, trying to get to him. A kick met his stomach and he watched as she looked to him with such love and concern, as she fought to get free. They weren't going to hurt her. They were just holding her back so she wouldn't interfere with his lesson.

She was safe, albeit distraught, but she would-

One of the men slapped her hard across the face, cutting her lip. Jori froze as he watched red slowly forming on her sweet lips. Her head lolled back on her shoulders in a daze and everything else inside him shut down.

A yell so brutal erupted from Jori's inflated throat, it caused the turian to halt his assault. In a flash, Jori shot his hand out to grab the leg of the turian and yank him to the ground. Rising from his hands and knees, Jori gave a menacing growl and started towards _his _female.

Pain suddenly exploded at the back of his head, sending the floor rushing up to greet him.

He awoke sometime later in a dimmed bedroom he wasn't familiar with. Glancing around,

he found no clue as to where he was, until he saw a picture of himself from the day Deena was playing around with her omnitool. _Deena._ He must be at Deena's apartment. Everything rushed back to him and he sat up. He immediately laid back down, groaning as the pain reintroduced itself, making him aware of the existence of his injuries.

"Jori? No, don't get up." Deen told him as she rushed in the room. She gingerly sat down next to him. "How are you feeling?"

_Horrible._ "I'm fine," he lied and reached up to cup her bruised cheek. "Are you alright?"

She smiled at him. "I'll be fine."

Dropping his arm he ask, "What happened?"

She closed her eyes as if not wanting to relive the moment. "One of….One of the men hit me," she began. "You yelled or growled or… you got mad. A krogan, and a couple other turians interfered before you could do anything and the krogan hit you. When…" Her voice wobbled. "When you went down I thought they were all going to beat on you. But." She breathed in, as if to calm herself. "A C-Sec captain heard your yell and came over to see what was going on. Commander Borey, Bail, Bailson?" She shook her head. "He was off duty...everyone was dispersed. I told him I could take care of you once I got you home, so he and someone else helped bring you here."

She stopped and looked like she was trying to hold off tears. Sniffeling she fiddled with the covers of the bed. Jori felt awful, he had never wanted her to see this. He didn't want her to view him with anything other than acceptance, her characteristic curiosity, and most of all, love. The bruise on her face broke his heart and grief overtook him for what he head subjected her to. His guilt turned into single-minded determination, shutting his mind off to anything other than his goal.

Against her protests, he struggled into a sitting position. He couldn't let her get hurt like that again. Gently removing her hands, he stood up. He was going to have to let her go to keep her safe. He carefully shrugged on his jacket and walked towards the door to her bedroom. Catching her tear-stricken face between his hands, he kissed her one last time.

Forehead touching hers, he told her, "I have to leave you, and I'm not coming back. No, listen to me my love...please listen. I can't...I can't let this happen to you again. No, you're not fine, you got hurt." He pulled back from her clutching hands. "I have to leave you or it will get worse…Yes it will. This time you were just struggling, next time will be because you are with me, and eventually you will be targeted separately…No, we can't." He moved towards the door to exit her apartment, ignoring her protests and desperate pleads. At the door he turned back to her. "Know that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me and that I'm sorry for hurting you."

Taking one last look at her, he left her apartment. Leaving her in hysterics on the other side of the threshold he so desperately wanted to cross.

Jori walked back to his apartment in a daze, not caring in the least what others said as he went by. It was late when he returned home, which was torture in itself. Everywhere he looked provoked a memory of Deena. The couch, the kitchen, the little table tucked in a corner, the newly hung picture of a desert flower, and, most especially, the bedroom.

Leaving the room in darkness and stripping down to his undergarments, he lay in bed where her scent filled his lungs and memories began to swim forth. He floated from memory to memory, all of Deena, for hours on end. He knew without a doubt that he had slipped into _tu-fira, _but he didn't care.

* * *

In the morgue, Deena was prepping her sampling kit for one of the three newest victims of red sand overdose. Jori watched out of the corner of his eye as he prepared his own kit. The bodies seemed to be coming in more frequently lately, and nothing C-Sec had found indicated why.

Snapping his head around at her gasp, he stilled in shock. The body she had uncovered was a batarian.

"Thats not right," Deena said. "Batarians are immune to red sand. They must have given us the wrong body."

Double checking the datapads, Jori told her, "It's the right one. Look at the remnants of red sand along the mouth and nostrils."

She looked. "But how are we to test for bodily reactions if it does nothing to their system?"

He smiled at her, " We just have to check for the chemical in the cerebrospinal fluid. Shouldn't be that hard."

"Oh... I must not be all there today."

He returned to the body he had been taking samples from, when her words changed his life.

"Jori, I love you."

* * *

"Promise me, Jori. Promise me you'll forsake your compact and stop fighting. Promise me," Irikah cried onto Jori's shoulder. "Please. Assassination isn't a life for you. I don't want you to turn out like him. I care for you too much to let that happen to you."

Jori looked at his distraught cousin. He would do anything for the woman who took care of him after his mother died. Anything to lessen even a little of the pain her husband caused her.

"I will," he whispered against the top of her head.

She drew back. "Vow it. Vow it to the gods...please."

Watching another tear escape, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and, "I vow to Amonkira, lord of the hunters, and Kalahira, goddess of the afterlife, that I will renounce my compact with the hanar and forgo a life of violence. I will not kill. I will not harm. I will not fight."

Opening his eyes he looked at his cousin who gave him a watery smile, "Thank you."


	8. Chapter 8 v1 - Battle and Communication

**Alright everyone. This is the last chapter. It has really been a trip, especially since I did the majority of this over the last 2 weeks. I guess writing with a deadline helps me out. I really wish I could continue this story the way I want to but as we all know I have a word limit for my creation. Which I just made by a hand full of words. I will admit, I wish I could get another chapter in so I can end this story properly and not feel that I've rushed the ending but oh well. Maybe there will be a sequel. Oh, and if you guys didn't see it, I went back and adjusted some minor but important details that have nothing to do with this story but will in future ones. **

**I would now like to take this time to do a couple thank you's.**

**Looking **

**Thank you my other half for allowing me to go on a writing binge for this.**

**Thank you Aria's Afterlife for being there for me to stumble upon and eventually find the contest that caused me to find and unite with my inner OC creator. I now have ideas in my head.**

**Thank you to my readers and reviewers for taking a chance on this little story.**

**And last but not least. Thank you JaliceAZ for being my beta, for squeezing in time to correct my mistakes, for cutting words left and right, and for loving my creation. And the literally last hour corrections.**

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**STOP. READ THIS A/N BEFORE YOU CONTINUE SO CONFUSION WILL NOT HAPPEN.**

**A/N 2.0: Ok, thinking on it, I am not happy with how I ended this story, but I had to end it to go with the contest its entered for. To make me feel better and stay within the contest, this is what I'm going to do. This is the official last chapter for the contest. The following two chapters are how I would like the story to end but I am not submitting them as part of the contest. That being said, its up to you what you read. FYI: Ch 8 2.0 will contain 85% of Ch 8 1.0. Other than that, enjoy.  
**

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Jori called in the next day. Salan was surprised, but agreed. The two following days were his scheduled days off, which left Jori to remain in _tu-fira_ as much as he liked. His heart ached at what he had done but he couldn't take it back. There was no way he was going to allow anything to happen to Deena again and he was confident that staying away from her was the best choice. It also kept him from breaking his vow to Irikah for there was no way he would be able to control himself if Deena was ever hurt again. It was bad enough he had pulled the turian to the ground.

He had ignored his omni-tool, setting it to silent, and refused to check for any messages. He once thought he heard a knock at his apartment door but when he pulled out of his memory to listen, there was nothing.

The labs were another question entirely. He was going to ask Salan for a transfer to another department, or maybe even another hospital. In the meantime he would have to figure out what to do to avoid Deena. He should probably just call in again, maybe for the rest of the week.

Dragging himself from bed, he found his way to his terminal to send Salan a message and check for messages himself. His chest clenched at the site of the lone message from Deena. The subject line was simply 'Please.' He couldn't look at it now. His resolve would crumble if he did, so he moved it out of sight. He'd read it one day…just not now.

Just as he was about to send his message to Salan, a new message popped up. It was marked as 'urgent' and the sender address indicated it was from C-Sec. They found a lead on the case and wanted his opinion in person before they proceeded.

Standing outside C-Sec headquarters, Jori waited for his contact to meet him. He did a double take when he noticed Kern exit the building. He looked stressed, worn out, and exhausted. He didn't seem to notice Jori standing there, much to Jori's relief.

The doors Kern had just come through opened again and a turian stood there. He looked at Jori, then down at a datapad. There was a distant sound that caught Jori, the turian, and even Kern's attention. There it was again, closer this time. And again. It almost sounded like- the room behind the turian exploded, sending a wave of heat and fire towards Jori. He went flying across the corridor and smashed into a wall. His ears rung, his lungs burned, his vision blurred, and his body ached.

Raising to his hands and knees, he forced his lungs to function again. The ringing in his ears slowly dissipated, giving way to hissing and popping which slowly grew in volume. Snapping his head up, he realized those hisses and pops were the sounds of gunfire, and they weren't far.

Getting to his feet he looked around and spotted Kern on the ground nearby. He was moving. Rushing over to him, Jori helped Kern up and moved him to cover.

"What's going on?" Kern dazedly asked while the sounds of fighting grew louder.

"I was hoping you could tell me."

Kern shook his head and looked around. "Spirits, C-Sec is under attack!" He scrambled down the corridor, with Jori closely following. Kern stopped at a terminal and started typing away, leaving Jori to watch the corridor. A moment later he cursed. "They're everywhere."

"Who?"

Kern glanced at Jori. "Don't know. Reports are saying humans, but," he trailed off to read something. "That doesn't make sense."

"What doesn't make sense?" Jori prompted Kern to elaborate.

"Early reports say the newly hired human C-Sec officers are suddenly turning. It looks like an all-out human rebellion but they're killing their own."

Jori tensed. "Explain."

Without taking his eyes off what he was reading, Kern continued, "All the new recruits from the past couple months. The replacements after the red sand…"

Kern looked up at Jori. It all made sense. The red sand victims. The random targets. The fact that these deaths had been going on for few years, only gaining in frequency recently. Someone had been killing Citadel employees, and bringing in human replacements so they could stage an attack. But why go to such lengths?

"What's their target?" Jori asked.

Kern studied the reports until his eyes widened, "The Council. They're making a path to the Council and taking out key locations along the way. Transport, security, C-Sec headquarters, the embassies, and the hospitals."

"The hospitals?"

"Yeah. I don't know why but- damn communication is down. Hey where you going?"

Jori didn't answer as he ran down the corridors towards Huerta Memorial Hospital and the labs. It was early in Deena's shift, he knew where she would be, he just had to get to her. Dodging debris from explosions, he ran like his life depended on it. And in truth it was. If anything happened to Deena, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

"Jori."

Whipping his head around, Jori spotted Thane rushing down the corridor, clutching his ribs and gasping for air.

"Thane. What are you doing here?"

Backing into a corner, Thane leaned against it to catch his breath. "Cerberus is attacking the citadel." He coughed. "They are trying to get to the council."

"Cerberus?"

Thane breathed deeply, "A human terrorist organization. I'm to rendezvous with someone at the council. What are you doing?"

"I need to find the woman I'm going to bond with." Jori admitted while watching the corridors.

"The human female you work with?"

Glancing at Thane he asked, "How did you know?"

Thane's lips quirked into a wry smile. "I'm happy for you."

Jori had to ask, "It does not offend you that she is human?"

"Far from it. I've come to deeply care for one myself."

Jori did not take the time to wonder at this revelation, he bid Thane goodbye as he resumed his frantic path towards the hospital, but Thane grasped his wrist. Activating his omni-tool, Thane said, "I'm sending you the location for a safe place to hide not too far from here once you find her."

Glancing quickly from the hand that grasped him to the older drell's face, Jori recognized how worn and sick Thane was. His wheezing had worsened considerably. His disease had taken its toll, but he was still on this side of the sea and making every minute count.

Jori shocked himself by saying, "Thane, whatever wrongs I held against you in the past are all forgiven."

Thane briskly cocked his head in acknowledgement. He proffered his arm and Jori grasped it at the elbow. Clasping Thane's shoulder with his other hand, Jori watched as Thane mirrored the gesture, in a honorable drell embrace. Between breaths Thane said, "Live well in the time you have," before pulling back.

Thane seemed to be listening to something as he began hurrying down the corridors again. His labored breathing was emphasized as Jori heard him respond to someone, "Yes, I'm nearing the building but running is difficult…."

Jori continued on his frantic path to find Deena. He slowed as he entered the Presidium Commons. The area was in chaos as crowds ran everywhere searching for safety and loved ones. A group of C-Sec officers were setting up defenses. It looked like he would have to take the stairs because they had barricaded the elevators against intrusion.

Suddenly he heard a voice above the rest. He couldn't make out what was said but he knew it was hers. He looked around trying to spot her when he heard her again. There! She was being detained by a C-Sec officer who was with a group, trying to console the civilians.

"Deena!" he called out as he maneuvered towards her.

She searched the surrounding crowd for him, her eyes jumping from person to person until they landed on him. She visibly relaxed at the sight of him and her face was filled with such elation he had to smile in return. Reaching her, he refused to let her go now that she was safe and in his arms once more. Something he thought would never happen again.

Before he could offer an apology, a scream rent the air followed by an explosion. Pulling Deena with him, Jori ran as a ship belonging to what he now recognized as Cerberus, began to fire upon the makeshift barricades. She followed him wordlessly as they ran to the stairs, following the directions Thane had given.

Soon they were coming upon another battle that that was in the direction they were headed. Jori ducked into an empty office and tucked Deena under a desk assuring her of his return. Before he could get far, Deena screamed in such terror it made Jori's heart drop in sudden panic.

Rushing back, he found one of the fully armored Cerberus soldiers grabbing Deena by the arm as she struggled to pull out of his hold. The male raised his gun and pointed it at her.

Jori's world narrowed and something inside him snapped. His long-denied training kicked in and took over. Rushing forward, he kicked the gun out of the male's hand then rammed his fist into the male's throat, causing him to fall to his knees as he clutched at his windpipe. Jori then brought his knee up to connect with the male's jaw so hard, the head whipped back and an audible crunching of the neck was heard.

Watching the body hit the ground unmoving, a rush of awareness of what he just did came over him. He just broke his vow to Irikah by killing someone. Years of discipline and determination gone in a matter of seconds. How could he have broken his promise to her and the gods? Looking over at Deena, his love, he realized it was going to happen again. Anything to protect her and keep her safe.

* * *

Two weeks had gone by since Cerberus's attack.

After emerging from their hiding place, Jori and Deena had reconciled. Deena lectured him as he solemnly listened to her every word. It took some time, but he began to understand she that was going nowhere, no matter what happened to them.

She had spoken with fierce resolve, "They can ostracize me. Make it so I can never make another purchase or bar me from the elevator. They can even threaten me and mine, but I will never leave you. I love you, Jori. Nothing means more to me than that."

Her declaration meant everything to him. Then and there he decided never again to doubt her and her strength to withstand the prejudice they will undoubtedly encounter together.

Currently assigned to Emergency Care, as the labs were in disrepair and the influx of wounded and refugees had increased exponentially, Jori kept a look out for Thane. He hadn't heard anything about the other drell until the day he happened upon Thane's son, Kolyat. He had informed Jori of Thane's final battle to save a council member. Then of his body being lost to one of the many fires that tore through the Citadel. He was saddened at the loss but wouldn't dwell on it for he knew Thane was now at peace.

Deena, on the other hand, was becoming increasingly worried over the lack of word from her family on Earth. Twice a day she made her way to the refugee camp and embassies, in search of anything that could tell her about the fate of her family. Jori wanted to put her fears to rest, but nothing he tried worked. Until one day, when he had an idea.

After making some inquiries to see if it was feasible, he approached her while at work. She had just finished stacking medical supplies when he asked, "Will you go to Earth with me?"

She stilled and turned to him. Her voice quietly hopeful, "Why?"

He lifted a hand to cup her cheek and caressed her soft skin with his thumb. "I know someone who has family there that she would dearly love to find."

"But what about you? You can't just up and leave everything you have here. You have responsibilities, and I can't just -"

He hushed her. "Everything I have is right here in front of me, and no matter where you go, I will follow you." He kissed her parted mouth. "We are going to Earth, and we are going to find your family, Deena. Is that alright with you?"

He watched her process what he was telling her and chuckled at her look of disbelief.

"Really?" she asked, hope filling her eyes. "You're sure?"

Leaning forward, he rested his forehead on hers and whispered, "I will do anything for you. I love you."

"Oh, Jori!"


	9. Chapter 8 v2 - Battle and Forgiveness

**Ok as mentioned in chapter 8 1.0 I wasn't happy with how I ended this story but I had a word limit for a contest. So here is ending 2.0 for your reading pleasure that has nothing to do with the contest. The majority is the same as 1.0. I have one more chapter to work on then I will consider this particular Jori and Deena story complete.  
**

* * *

Jori called in the next day. Salan was surprised, but agreed. The two following days were his scheduled days off, which left Jori to remain in tu-fira as much as he liked. His heart ached at what he had done but he couldn't take it back. There was no way he was going to allow anything to happen to Deena again and he was confident that staying away from her was the best choice. It also kept him from breaking his vow to Irikah for there was no way he would be able to control himself if Deena was ever hurt again. It was bad enough he had pulled the turian to the ground.

He had ignored his omni-tool, setting it to silent, and refused to check for any messages. He once thought he heard a knock at his apartment door but when he pulled out of his memory to listen, there was nothing.

The labs were another question entirely. He was going to ask Salan for a transfer to another department, or maybe even another hospital. In the meantime he would have to figure out what to do to avoid Deena. He should probably just call in again, maybe for the rest of the week.

Dragging himself from bed, he found his way to his terminal to send Salan a message and check for messages himself. His chest clenched at the site of the lone message from Deena. The subject line was simply 'Please.' He couldn't look at it now. His resolve would crumble if he did, so he moved it out of sight. He'd read it one day…just not now.

Just as he was about to send his message to Salan, a new message popped up. It was marked as 'urgent' and the sender address indicated it was from C-Sec. They found a lead on the case and wanted his opinion in person before they proceeded.

Standing outside C-Sec headquarters, Jori waited for his contact to meet him. He did a double take when he noticed Kern exit the building. He looked stressed, worn out, and exhausted. He didn't seem to notice Jori standing there, much to Jori's relief.

The doors Kern had just come through opened again and a turian stood there. He looked at Jori, then down at a datapad. There was a distant sound that caught Jori, the turian, and even Kern's attention. There it was again, closer this time. And again. It almost sounded like- the room behind the turian exploded, sending a wave of heat and fire towards Jori. He went flying across the corridor and smashed into a wall. His ears rung, his lungs burned, his vision blurred, and his body ached.

Raising to his hands and knees, he forced his lungs to function again. The ringing in his ears slowly dissipated, giving way to hissing and popping which slowly grew in volume. Snapping his head up, he realized those hisses and pops were the sounds of gunfire, and they weren't far.

Getting to his feet he looked around and spotted Kern on the ground nearby. He was moving. Rushing over to him, Jori helped Kern up and moved him to cover.

"What's going on?" Kern dazedly asked while the sounds of fighting grew louder.

"I was hoping you could tell me."

Kern shook his head and looked around. "Spirits, C-Sec is under attack!" He scrambled down the corridor, with Jori closely following. Kern stopped at a terminal and started typing away, leaving Jori to watch the corridor. A moment later he cursed. "They're everywhere."

"Who?"

Kern glanced at Jori. "Don't know. Reports are saying humans, but," he trailed off to read something. "That doesn't make sense."

"What doesn't make sense?" Jori prompted Kern to elaborate.

"Early reports say the newly hired human C-Sec officers are suddenly turning. It looks like an all-out human rebellion but they're killing their own."

Jori tensed. "Explain."

Without taking his eyes off what he was reading, Kern continued, "All the new recruits from the past couple months. The replacements after the red sand…"

Kern looked up at Jori. It all made sense. The red sand victims. The random targets. The fact that these deaths had been going on for few years, only gaining in frequency recently. Someone had been killing Citadel employees, and bringing in human replacements so they could stage an attack. But why go to such lengths?

"What's their target?" Jori asked.

Kern studied the reports until his eyes widened, "The Council. They're making a path to the Council and taking out key locations along the way. Transport, security, C-Sec headquarters, the embassies, and the hospitals."

"The hospitals?"

"Yeah. I don't know why but- damn communication is down. Hey where you going?"

Jori didn't answer as he ran down the corridors towards Huerta Memorial Hospital and the labs. It was early in Deena's shift, he knew where she would be, he just had to get to her. Dodging debris from explosions, he ran like his life depended on it. And in truth it was. If anything happened to Deena, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

"Jori."

Whipping his head around, Jori spotted Thane rushing down the corridor, clutching his ribs and gasping for air.

"Thane. What are you doing here?"

Backing into a corner, Thane leaned against it to catch his breath. "Cerberus is attacking the citadel." He coughed. "They are trying to get to the council."

"Cerberus?"

Thane breathed deeply, "A human terrorist organization. I'm to rendezvous with someone at the council. What are you doing?"

"I need to find the woman I'm going to bond with." Jori admitted while watching the corridors.

"The human female you work with?"

Glancing at Thane he asked, "How did you know?"

Thane's lips quirked into a wry smile. "I'm happy for you."

Jori had to ask, "It does not offend you that she is human?"

"Far from it. I've come to deeply care for one myself."

Jori did not take the time to wonder at this revelation, he bid Thane goodbye as he resumed his frantic path towards the hospital, but Thane grasped his wrist. Activating his omni-tool, Thane said, "I'm sending you the location for a safe place to hide not too far from here once you find her."

Glancing quickly from the hand that grasped him to the older drell's face, Jori recognized how worn and sick Thane was. His wheezing had worsened considerably. His disease had taken its toll, but he was still on this side of the sea and making every minute count.

Jori shocked himself by saying, "Thane, whatever wrongs I held against you in the past are all forgiven."

Thane briskly cocked his head in acknowledgement. He proffered his arm and Jori grasped it at the elbow. Clasping Thane's shoulder with his other hand, Jori watched as Thane mirrored the gesture, in a honorable drell embrace. Between breaths Thane said, "Live well in the time you have," before pulling back.

Thane seemed to be listening to something as he began hurrying down the corridors again. His labored breathing was emphasized as Jori heard him respond to someone, "Yes, I'm nearing the building but running is difficult…."

Jori continued on his frantic path to find Deena. He slowed as he entered the Presidium Commons. The area was in chaos as crowds ran everywhere searching for safety and loved ones. A group of C-Sec officers were setting up defenses. It looked like he would have to take the stairs because they had barricaded the elevators against intrusion.

Suddenly he heard a voice above the rest. He couldn't make out what was said but he knew it was hers. He looked around trying to spot her when he heard her again. There! She was being detained by a C-Sec officer who was with a group, trying to console the civilians.

"Deena!" he called out as he maneuvered towards her.

She searched the surrounding crowd for him, her eyes jumping from person to person until they landed on him. She visibly relaxed at the sight of him and her face was filled with such elation he had to smile in return. Reaching her at last, he refused to let her go now that she was safe and in his arms once more. Something he thought would never happen again.

Before he could offer an apology, a scream rent the air followed by an explosion. Pulling Deena with him, Jori ran just as a ship belonging to what he now recognized as Cerberus, began to fire upon the makeshift barricades. She followed him wordlessly as they ran to the stairs, following the directions Thane had given.

Soon they were coming upon another battle in the direction they were headed. Jori ducked into an empty office and tucked Deena under a desk assuring her of his return. Before he could get far, Deena screamed in such terror it made Jori's heart drop in sudden panic.

Rushing back, he found one of the fully armored Cerberus soldiers grabbing Deena by the arm as she struggled to pull out of his hold. The male raised his gun and pointed it at her.

Jori's world narrowed and something inside him snapped. His long-denied training seized hold instantaneously and took over. Surging forward, he kicked the gun out of the male's hand then rammed his fist into his throat, causing him to fall to his knees clutching at his windpipe. Jori then brought his knee up to connect with the male's jaw so hard, the head whipped back and an audible crunching of the neck was heard.

Watching the body hit the ground unmoving, a rush of awareness came over him. He just broke his vow by killing someone. Years of discipline and determination gone in a matter of seconds. How could he have broken his promise to Irikah and the gods? Guilt and disappointment washing over him, he looked over at Deena who was bracing herself against the wall, his love, and realized it was going to happen again. Anything to protect her and keep her safe. Anything for her.

Keeping his gaze locked on her face, he went to her swiftly. His stomach dropped as he watched her flinch at his approach and close her eyes in what he could only guess was fear. Her body tensed and her breathing held as she looked to prepare for some sort of blow. His world tilted as he realized she had watched him kill someone of her kind and now she was more than likely afraid of him. His actions had caused more harm than he realized.

Breathing heavily and internally panicking he said the first thing that came to mind, "I won't hurt you."

Her eyes immediately popped open and watched him warily. He caught a glimmer of something in them that had him thinking her actions were not solely directed at him. Something else was responsible for that look of fear. Something he had no control over and had been triggered with his act of violence.

"I won't hurt you, Deena," he tried again, seeing she hadn't fled from him.

He drew nearer slowly, watching her for any further adverse reactions to his approach. Stopping in front of her, he drew his hand up to caress her cheek and his heart sank as she flinched at his touch. Closing his eyes, he leaned forward to touch his forehead with hers, his free hand gently clasping her wrist.

"I could never hurt you," he whispered, hoping to reach her and remind her who he was, despite what she saw.

He tried one more time, "I love you."

She let out a sob, causing him to pull away in concern and dread to look at her. Her eyes were clenched shut as tears escaped them to roll down her soft skin.

"I know," she whispered. "I know, I'm sorry...I...it's just I'm-" She paused and took a breath. "I've never seen you...and I'm not used to…" She sniffled. "I know you won't hurt me, Jori. I'm not afraid of you. What you did just…it just..."

"Deena," he coaxed. "Deena, look at me...please." She did. "I'm sorry," he started. "I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm sorry I left you. I'm sorry for everything I've put you through. I'm sorry-"

His words were cut off by her sudden and demanding kiss. A wave of relief washed over him as he returned the kiss with equal fervour and held onto her like a drowning male and she, his only source of air. All too soon she pulled away from him but he refused to let her go.

Clutching her head to his chest, he quietly asked, "You forgive me."

She sniffled and nodded at him. A weight he didn't know he carried, lifted from his shoulders and he held her tighter.

"This doesn't mean you're off the hook," she mumbled into his jacket. "We're going to talk about this but right now…" she paused when a distant explosion interrupted them.

"We're going to find safety," Jori finished for her.

She looked up at him and smiled that smile just for him and nodded. Quickly kissing that smile, he grabbed her hand and without another word, he led her to the location Thane had given him.


End file.
